Shemar Turner on winning Super Bowls, becoming a Pro-Bowler

Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - 11 hours ago

CHICAGO - It is always good to dream big and that is exactly what defensive lineman Shemar Turner is doing.

He may have just gotten drafted by the Chicago Bears with the No. 62 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he is already thinking about winning Super Bowls for the Bears.

“All the accolades that’s possible - Super Bowls, everything, winning. Winning is a big part of legacy for me and hopefully getting a few rings under my belt, gold jacket, Pro-Bowler, all that,” Turner said. “10, 15 years (in the NFL). Everything a successful NFL player has to do to be successful to be on that pedestal. I want to achieve it.”

His journey to the NFL started when he was a little kid being coached by his uncle. This is where he learned to have a mentality of being an energetic person on and off the field.

Some NFL teams would have a problem with Turner’s high energy playing style, which is why he is grateful to have landed with a team that appreciates his energy and will embrace it.

“My uncle coached me from (when I was) a little kid pretty much all the way till he passed me off to my middle school, high school coaches and that’s all it was. It was intense and it was go. So, I’ve been going since I was a little kid,” Turner said. “Going somewhere where they won’t try to change you and they really love the way I play. They love the way I go. So, just ready to go.”

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has always been someone that has welcomed physicality, toughness and violent play on the field.

That is part of why Turner fits well into what the Bears are trying to do as that is precisely the type of player Chicago is getting in him.

“Teaming up with Dennis, Coach DA, it’s going to be great especially because what they coach and what they speak on, physicality and playing hard, playing long. It’s going to be good,” Turner said. “This is violent and we’re going to go. We’re going to be physical and we just go dominate guys on the line of scrimmage.”

Another factor in Turner’s favor is that as a rookie interior defensive lineman, he will have the opportunity to learn from a seasoned veteran in Grady Jarrett. Throughout his career, Turner has watched Jarrett and how he plays.

Now, he will have the chance to learn directly from Jarrett along with the rest of Chicago’s young defensive line group.

“He’s a dog. He’s an animal. He’s not too big either. He’s a guy that can pass rush,” Turner said. “He’s quick as hell. He fast off the ball. His get-off is crazy. So, he’s a dude. He’s (the) reason why he’s been here so long.”

Perhaps the most important intangible of any player is coachability. If a player is not willing to learn, they cannot grow into a successful NFL player. Turner is not that kind of player.

He is ready and willing to learn and has already specifically narrowed in on one aspect of his game he is looking to improve - his ability to read plays before the snap.

“Formations (and) seeing plays before they happen. (That’s) what I want to try to get down a lot (because) I feel like that’ll help speed my game up a lot more, doing a lot less thinking and a lot more going and playing. I feel like it’ll be good for me,” Turner said. “It’s going to be fun. I think here at the next level, it’s going to be pretty exciting for me.”